The RV Education 101
Newsletter
Learning RV's the Easy Way by
Video
Volume 19 - September 2005
RV Education 101 is Endorsed by 
Help RV Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina has blazed a trail of devastation throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Across the Gulf Coast, Katrina engulfed thousands of homes and decimated the landscape in what could become the most destructive storm in U.S. history. Victims are stranded and in need of immediate medical care, food and water, and tens of thousands of people will need temporary housing for months.
Please see Mark's editorial on how RVers can specifically help fellow RVers affected by this devastating storm.
Every little bit can help these storm victims! http://www.rvnewsdaily.com/staticpages/index.php/relief_store
I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness or abilities that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. - William Penn
Monthly Product Discount celebrating Dawn's birthday: September 11 (yes~ 9/11!),
Mark's birthday: September 18, and Mark & Dawn's wedding anniversary: September 15
The RV Safety Education Foundation Training Program
RV Education 101 promotes RV safety and recommends that every RVer should complete this program as a requirement to being on the road. Do you know what to do if an emergency arises? You will after completing the program. Wouldn't you like to see some driving techniques? All of the information is a cooperative effort between experienced RV operators, RV manufacturers and dealers, industry associates, and experts in the subject matters. In addition to viewing any of our other video titles, this program will put your mind at ease, give you self-confidence and enhance your knowledge concerning any RV.
Video Details - on sale for $34.95 until September 18th
BUY NOW VHS $39.95
Please type: newsletter discount in the Key Code box of the order form. We will adjust your total when your order is processed. Order Now!
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Hi Everybody, In North Carolina hurricane season always has us sitting on edge, wondering if we will take a direct hit or not. Last year and again this year Florida stood in the path of destruction. Then came hurricane Katrina, quite possibly the most devastating storm in U.S. history. The gulf coast was the target this time and the worst possible place a storm could hit, got hit hard. The chaos, the loss of life and the suddenly homeless people wandering in the streets looked like scenes from a impoverished third world country, not something that could ever happen in America. These people are in desperate and immediate need of assistance. I wanted to help, but felt helpless trying to figure out what we could possibly do to help these people. Anne Pierson, a good friend and fellow co-founder of the Circle of Trust RV Family, www.circleoftrustrvfamily.org lives in Louisiana and we were concerned about her and her family too. Anne and her husband Bob also own Happy Camping discount club and two campgrounds in Louisiana. When we were finally able to make contact with Anne she told us they were okay but they were extremely overwhelmed by storm victims seeking refuge at their campgrounds. These people left their homes with not much more than the clothes on their backs, thinking they would return to their homes in a few days. Now many of them have no home or jobs to return to. Anne is making a valiant effort to help these storm victims out. She is providing free sites for people who cannot afford to pay and they are making meals to feed the families. As a group, the Circle of Trust (COT) RV Family members are uniting to assist these needy victims. In a joint effort we have come up with a couple of ideas to help these people out. Circle of Trust RV Family members are donating RV related products that they sell to the "COT Hurricane Store." 100% of the proceeds for anything purchased from the hurricane store or money donated will go directly to these needy families. The hurricane store is being hosted, at no charge, by COT co-founder Matt Burt on his RV News Daily web site. You can visit the hurricane store at> http://www.rvnewsdaily.com/staticpages/index.php/relief_store These families are also in need of very basic items like groceries, clothing, and school supplies. Their children will be attending schools in different areas because they cannot return home for months. We feel that Wal-Mart gift certificates may be the most practical method for helping with these kinds of things. This way they can buy groceries and clothes and school supplies and toilet chemicals for the RVs, etc. and we won't have to handle cash. You can send physical relief supplies to: Shiloh RV Resorts Attn: Anne Pierson 7300 Frontage Road Monroe, LA 71202 Read the full, breaking news, story published by RV Business> http://www.rvbusiness.com/output.cfm?ID=1004365 In our own small attempt to help, RV Education 101 will be donating our RV training DVD's to the "Hurricane Store." We will also be making a monetary donation now and will donate 10% of all RV Education 101 retail sales for the month of September. Anything you can do to help these needy families would be greatly appreciated. I would like to thank all of the COT members who are supporting this cause and our friends at Valterra Products who are sending a shipment of RV supplies to Louisiana. I would also like to thank RV Business Magazine and columnist Chuck Woodbury for helping to get the word out. And a special thanks goes out to Anne Pierson and Matt Burt, COT co-founders.
Mark
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We get so many questions regarding computer access on the road; So again this month we will post an article written by Steven Fletcher.
Wi-Fi by Steven Fletcher, the author of RVers
Guide to Internet Access on the Road.
Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. It’s also know as 802.11 and Macintosh users call it AirPort. Whatever you call it Wi-Fi is basically two-way radio for your computer with about a 300 ft. range and software that sends and receives standard Internet data.
For PC users Wi-Fi capability usually takes the form of a $30 - $75 PC card that plugs into your PC’s PCMCIA slot or a USB adapter. There are advantages and disadvantages to both so some RVers have and use both types depending on the situation.
Macintosh laptops have had Wi-Fi capability for several years now by way of an optional internal card but they can use other Wi-Fi hardware as well.
Places where Internet access is provided by Wi-Fi are called hotspots and hotspots are being set up in tens of thousands of new places this year. Restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores, hotels, motels, airports, even truck stops. Just about anyplace where people congregate is likely to have a hotspot in the next few years.
Most of these place charge for access and rates vary a lot depending on the provider. They have Pay-As-You-Go as well as subscription plans.
Visit: http://www.t-mobile.com/hotspot/ and http://www.wayport.com/ to get an idea of where to look for hotspots and what they cost. Also check http://jiWire.com to find hotspots.
The fees of each pay-for-service hotspot provider varies widely but experts think fees will even out in the next year or two while becoming more affordable. Many providers are working now to share each other's networks so that subscribers can use hotspots without worrying about who it belongs to.
Besides pay-for-service you can also find free access. Free hotspots are often offered by public agencies... libraries, schools, parks, etc. In many areas, users themselves are working together to provide free hotspots to the community. Roadside rest areas in Texas provide free Wi-Fi and other states are planning to do the same. Free hotspots are also offered by the same type of businesses mentioned earlier because they feel the service sets them apart from their competition and attracts customers.
It's the free hotspots that we look for. We find them with 'sniffer' software while driving around town. I drive and Fran watches the computer. When the computer finds a hotspot we find a parking place nearby. Sometimes the networks are not connected to the Internet, but we usually find an open access point we can use.
Since we only use the open network for Internet access and do not try to 'hack' their system we don't feel we are doing anything wrong.
Of special interest to RVers is that many RV parks installing Wi-Fi. Sometimes the wi-fi coverage is limited but many have park-wide coverage. As with other hotspots some parks charge and others offer wi-fi for free.
Wireless is good but Wi-Fi is also fast. About the same speed as DSL or broadband cable. The combination is making Wi-Fi especially popular with mobile computer users.
There is more than one
Wi-Fi standard. Two standards are fighting for dominance... ‘a’ and ‘g’. The ‘g’
standard has the favor of manufactures right now because while it offers better
security and faster speed it is backward compatible with the ‘b’ standard.
Apple
has already moved to the ‘g’ standard and other manufactures
are moving that way.
Don't let the different standards bother you. Most hotspots will be 802.11b for the next year at least, maybe more, and even when they do move to 802.11g you will still be able to use your ‘b’ hardware. If you're just buying your hardware go for ‘g’ unless you can get a good deal on closeout ‘b’ hardware. It is getting harder to find ‘b’ hardware in stores now but it can be found used and ebay.
Wi-Fi isn't widespread enough that you
can rely on it exclusively for internet access but it's well worth having the
capability for times when it is available.
To buy Stevens e-book: BUY NOW!!!
$11.95
Happy Camping! - Mark
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by Les Doll
Les Doll is a Certified RV Technician and author of "The Dummy's Guide to Buying a Pre-Loved RV" E-book
A user from Les's Bulletin Board writes...( http://rverscorner.com/info/forum.html )
I've just noticed something on my new-to-me '88 Lance camper:
When plugged in to shore power, if I touch something metal on the camper while being grounded outside the camper, I get shocked (feels like holding a hot 110v wire and ground, only a little less of a shock). Everything electrical that I've tried works on the camper. I'm no electrical wizard, but do own a multi-meter, anybody have advice where to start looking for the leak?
Answer...You are getting a shock from the campers metal skin due to incorrect wiring in some part of the system. You can purchase a 110 volt circuit tester for under ten dollars at a hardware store or electrical supply store. The device plugs into an electrical outlet and has three lights on it to tell you if there is a problem and where the problem is. Everyone should have one of these to test every campground shore power outlet BEFORE hooking up the coach to the power source.
Does this happen every time? Have you plugged in using an extension cord that may be wired wrong? Or changed any receptacles or added anything that is screwed into the walls or ceiling?
Also, sometimes a staple or screw works it's way into a wire through road vibrations and shorts the wires to ground. This is a dangerous situation and must be corrected before any further use of the camper.
Reader follow-up ...Thanks so much for the info and the warning (we just unwittingly used the camper this weekend!). I will disconnect the battery when I get home and pick up a tester on the way home to start checking with. The only thing electrical-wise I had done to this point was to put a new deep cycle battery in. I did try switching outlets and going with/without an extension cord. It sounds like I should start with the source circuit (as in maybe there's power in the ground wire already...)? Thanks again....
Follow up to my post last night: There's nothing wrong with the Lance; I picked up a $7 tester at Home Depot and plugged it into my garage outlet and found that the outlet has the hot and common wire swapped. Once I found a good outlet and plugged the Lance into it, the shocking was gone.
So now I'm wondering what other house problems I can get solved here...! Thanks again for the help...
Answer..Glad to hear you found the problem.
Take that $7 tester with you and test every campsite hookup. You never know who changed the last receptacle and if they did it right!
Happy (Safe) Camping
Les is the webmaster of
rverscorner.com, the publisher of the RVers Corner Newsletter and founder and
administrator of the The True RVer's Forum bulletin board. Les also has authored
a continuing series of e-books on RV related subjects that
are available for
instant download. -Les' s E-book details
http://www.rverscorner.com/dummyltr.html?hop=rved101
by Dr. Bloomfield
Dr. Bloomfield is on the board of his local humane society in Truckee, Ca and he is their vice president. He also writes a regular column for their newsletter, and helped his wife Jennifer to create the "Emergency First Aid and Travel Kit for Dogs". He and his family are also avid RVers
What if My Pet Gets a Cut or Laceration? by R Brooks Bloomfield, DVM
One of our biggest fears is a bad cut or laceration on the road or trail. If we and our pet are lucky the wound will be minor and we can get back on the move. Sometimes we must make emergency detours because the wound is serious and needs immediate attention. You can do some basic first aid to control and evaluate the situation which will in turn guide you in the next step(s). Two things are paramount. The first being not to panic or you are of no use to your injured pet. More importantly is to not get injured yourself! Our best friends can act with great harm when hurt and scared. Always have a muzzle or learn how to make an emergency one. The Canine Companion has gauze and instructions for making a gentle but secure muzzle for exactly these situations. Some dogs will let you tend their wounds with no resistance while others will need professional sedation or anesthesia. Personality plays a big role in success so teaching your dog from puppy hood to be handled in many different ways can be very helpful.
The first step is to apply pressure with a clean gauze pad, cloth, rag or bandage. Do not use a tourniquet. You can apply a firm pressure bandage if the bleeding does not stop with a timed 5 minutes of firm manual pressure. If the bleeding persists then seek immediate veterinary attention. The patient should be checked regularly for swelling above or below any bandage. It is more imperative that bleeding be quickly controlled with smaller animals as they can afford to lose less blood. Once the bleeding is stopped the wound should be evaluated. If it is a small nick that you would let heal on yourself then the wound is probably Ok being washed and kept clean, watching for redness and swelling. Peroxide works great but alcohol is extremely painful. Wounds that are deep or look like they need stitches should be tended to as soon as reasonably possible. With some superficial skin cuts it may be fine to wait overnight but longer than 24 hours makes the injury much harder to treat. If your pet can't stand or you think a tendon is severed or there may be a fracture or dislocation then seek immediate help. If your pet has been bleeding for a long time, has pale mucus membranes or is weak then get attention right away. If the wound is deep or has the possibility of having entered the chest or abdomen then get emergency help. Punctures that seal over and seem to heal quickly may abscess. Watch any wound for several days to make sure that the problem resolves completely.
by R Brooks Bloomfield, DVM
Copyright © 2005, R. Brooks Bloomfield, DVM Mountain Moms 2005
Canine Companion - "Emergency First Aid and Travel Kit for Dogs"
Everything a dog might need in an emergency whether at home or on the road. The kit contains 42 first-aid, health care, wound care, bandaging, and comfort/safety items; with easy to follow instructions written by Dr. Bloomfield, specifically for each product. RV Education 101 feels this kit is a smart necessity if you are going to travel with your dogs.
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Good tasting water is a personal preference. There is a wide choice of filter systems on the market that should answer your family's needs. However healthy hookups begin by using a specially designed drinking water hose (usually white in colour) --plus an extra 25 foot extension. Non-insulated green garden hoses combined with the sun's heat become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. Purifying fresh water in your tank with 1/2 teaspoon of bleach to every 10 gallons of water is acceptable, however a cap full of economical commercial purifier such as Camco or Captain Phab keeps tank water fresh and tasty for weeks. Occasionally RV Park water pressure reaches 100 psi and above. During one personal lesson, the force of the water pushed plumbing hoses off our kitchen taps. Believe me cleaning up an RV flood is no fun. Solution -- always add a (water pressure) regulator to the tap end to control park water at 45 PSI's -- without one the high water pressure can burst a hose as well as cause many other plumbing problems. NOTE: Always attach a regulator at tap end of your hose. A dripping hose at the city water intake leaves a hard to remove residue on your unit and a puddle emerges at the tap end. Changing hose washers and adding a fresh covering of plumbers tape to both ends of the hose at the start of each season will help to eliminate this problem. Are you tired of fighting with pliers to connect a hose to your unit? Why not attach a Quick Disconnect used with garden hoses at home. Add the small end permanently to the unit and the large end to the hose--"Click", you're connected.
Tips like those above are only a few of the numerous ideas
gracing the pages of the comprehensive RV LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY. One review
stated “Peggi provides the answer before you even thought of the question”. This
publication overflows with mega information. It has so much for so
little:
When I first began researching this subject for a seminar for FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) 6-years ago I couldn't believe I ended up with 7-pages of double-spaced differences between Canada and USA. I was surprised to discover how much our two countries differed when most of us feel we are so similar. If you are planning to visit Canada, don't leave home without a copy of RV TRAVEL TO CANADA E-BOOK. BUY NOW !!
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By: Pat Watson 
Pat and her husband, Francis, live in Holland, Ohio, and love cooking and entertaining their friends and family, especially at KOA campgrounds! Her new cookbook, "Campground Cooking", is a collection of more than 200 fun, easy recipes designed for RV cooking. Pat says all of the recipes can be made using an RV oven, crock-pot, microwave or electric skillet. She even has sections on cooking with foil and recipes for grilling. Many of the recipes can be adapted for cooking over an open fire, and it's great for busy cooks at home.
Pizza Lovers Soup
This hearty soup is great cooked over an open fire! Serve with a side salad for a wonderful meal.
1 lb sausage, hot & spicy
4 oz sliced pepperoni
1 lg (26 oz) can tomato soup (or 2 small cans)
2 "soup cans" of water
2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lg green pepper, sliced thin
4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 rounded Tbsp. dried basil
1 rounded Tbsp. dried oregano
1 rounded Tbsp. onion powder
1 rounded Tbsp. garlic powder
Mozzarella cheese, shredded (to garnish)
Lightly brown sausage; add onions, green peppers & mushrooms--saute until crisp-tender. Drain well. Add tomatoes to mixture. Put tomato soup in a bowl & slowly add water until blended. Add soup, pepperoni, & seasonings to sausage mixture.
Simmer over low heat at least 1 hour to combine flavors. Garnish each serving with mozzarella cheese. Enjoy!! Makes approximately 6 servings
Now available as an instant e-book! Cookbook details 77 pages
RV Education 101 strongly supports the sale of these Cookbooks. Pat is donating 10 percent of her profits from the book to benefit the KOA Care Camps Trust for kids with cancer. You can find out more about KOA Care Camps here:http://www.koacarecamps.com/
NEW** How to Buy an RV, Before you Buy it An RV Education 101 E-book, By Mark Polk
http://www.rveducation101.com/ebooks.htm?siteID=0
NEW**The Complete Guide to Dinghy Towing An RV Education 101 E-book, By Mark Polk
ARIZONA
Petrified Forest National Park. I loved this place when I was eight. Why? This is the place to buy rocks and fossils. The area itself is not very exciting unless you know what to look for along the way. We purchased an audiotape at the Petrified Forest Museum. It is called Dawn of the Dinosaurs. It provides just enough information so that the ride is not boring. It is not a story tape so it is best suited for those older than six.
The visitor's center features the skeletons of many dinosaurs, some older even than T. Rex. The skeletons include Triassic phytosaurs, similar to modern day crocodiles. A Junior Ranger certification program is also offered. This area is desolate and wild looking. It is an easy day trip from the Flagstaff area. The gift shops adjacent to the gas station have copious specimen choices. Holbrook. 1 (928) 524-6228, www.petrified.forest.national-park.com or pefo_superintendent@nps.gov.
Information packed e-books:
RVers Guide to Internet Access on the Road Confused about staying in touch while traveling? This e-book will clarify things for you!
RV Buyers Survival Guide Looking for your first RV? This e-book is a MUST for you!
How to BUY and SELL RV's on E-bay !! Need to get rid of your RV, or are you looking for one? Learn the insiders tips from an RV dealer with this e-book!
Title: A Pointed Reaction
At the end of the camping season last year, the threaded plastic plug in my rig's water heater broke off flush at the tank when I attempted to drain its contents for the winter. The plug was hollow, and broke in a manner that left practically no material on which I could get a grip. Of course, it didn't help matters that the plug was already difficult to access.
After three unsuccessful attempts to remove it, I came up with an idea that may help others in the same predicament. I purchased a piece of 1/8 x 3/4-inch steel strap at the hardware store. Then, I ground a shallow taper on one end, so the tip would fit just inside the remains of the drain plug. In my situation, an approximately 1/32 x 6-inch taper was needed.
With this light machining accomplished, I heated the end of the makeshift tool with a propane torch until I could just push the pointed metal into the plastic. I left it there a few minutes to cool.
With this done, the damaged plug was easily unscrewed by using a crescent wrench on the exposed end of the embedded steel strap. The tank threads remained undamaged. This allowed the immediate installation of a new drain plug, one with a solid body and nonstick threads.
Here are a couple of additional hints for other people interested in using this fix. Keep the tool taper as long as possible, and heat the end only until it will barely push into the body of the broken plastic plug. Be careful; it doesn't take much heat. Practice the procedure with the outer end of the broken plug, assuming it was kept. Finally, do not push so hard on the tool that it cuts through the plastic plug and damages the aluminum tank threads.
Authored by: John Brannen, Boise, Idaho
This tip appears on the Tech Tip Guide on page 195
More than 595 easy to do money saving tips in the 10-Minute Tech The Book.
http://www.qksrv.net/click-1128665-1644800
Hurricane Katrina caused fuel prices to go up over night, quickly approaching and in some areas going beyond $3 a gallon. Will these rising fuel prices stop Labor Day travelers? Read what some people are have to say>
http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=5464&sid=158f45e81a798844c20e8cda65cb584f
With Labor Day behind us, we are ready for the fall camping season, and I'd like to invite you to participate in a very special, FREE, event for RVers, which will be hosted right here at our Happy Camper web site through the month of September, through October 15. All participants will receive FREE bumper stickers as we go along, and every Happy Camper visitor will receive a FREE copy of our completed e-book when the project is finished October 15.
The anniversary of September 11 is near, and we would like to take this month to remember that the RV lifestyle is all about freedom - and that human kindness fuels our journeys in many ways, seen and unseen. In his famous memoir, Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, to discover that I had not lived..."
RVers share the same passion for discovery within ourselves, and we thought this month's project should focus on our journeys as individuals, and how the RV lifestyle helps make our inner journeys a reality. We propose an e-book collection of "Random Acts of Kindness," and will send a FREE bumper sticker for anyone who contributes one or more entries to our collection. We invite you to join us in a meaningful adventure at our forum, and to share the wisdom of your RV travels in a way that will help many new RVers learn from their own experiences on the road.
To participate in making the RVing world a better place, join us today by adding a post on one of three things:
1. The kindest act that's ever been done FOR you in your RV journeys.
2. An IDEA for kindness that we could all try and report our results.
3. A kind act you've done for someone else in your RV journeys, and what the results of your kind act were...
Please jump right in! It will take everyone's input - but what a great month it will be if everyone here commits to doing "Random acts of kindness" on the road!
http://www.rvuniversity.com/staticpages/index.php/community
Whenever there is a major disaster like hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relies on the RV Industry to come to the aid of storm victims by producing travel trailers as temporary quarters. Gulf Stream, an RV manufacturer is already building units to be used for temporary housing. Read more>
Book Details 
Live Your Road Trip Dream by Phil
and Carol White
Jam-packed with information and guidance on every page to help you turn your dream into reality, your dream vacation is no further away than saying ""Live Your Road Trip Dream"
The Arkansas Governor arranges discounted camp sites for storm refugees. The state is giving 20% discounts on cabins and rooms, free tent sites and 1/2 price fees for RV sites. Read the full story>
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/09/01/News/327837.html
Fleetwood RV announces the 20th anniversary edition Bounder motor home. I have been around the early Bounders in 1986 and I sold Bounders for several years in the mid 90's. I agree with the title Fleetwood coined for Bounder many years ago "The Motor Home that Really Works" If we decide to upgrade to a gas Class A motor home rather than a diesel it will more than likely be a Bounder. Take a look at the 20th anniversary Bounder>
Hot items at RV Education 101:
Travel Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitch Work & Backing
Travelers Guide to the Firearms Laws
About us:
Our goal with this monthly newsletter is to
provide you with helpful information to make all of your RV experiences more
enjoyable. I left my position as an RV Sales and F&I manager in 2000 to
start my own company, RV Education 101. We produce educational videos, DVDs and
e-books on how to use and maintain your RV.
The reason I left my job was due to my concern about the lack of
educational and safety awareness material available to the RV consumer, in other
words, you. We are a small company. My wife Dawn left her position in RV sales
to help start the company and is our Sales and Marketing Director. We currently have a 28-foot Class C motor home. We have two
boys, Tyler 8 and Josh 14, both avid RVers and two dogs, Gracie and Buck. Gracie
is the good one. If you would like to learn more about us and RV Education 101
feel free to visit our website
RV Education 101 Newsletter © Copyright 2004, 2005 Mark J. Polk, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content.
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Happy Camping,
Mark - RV Education 101
RV UNIVERSITY
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